What is the purpose of armor? Why do you think Paul tells us that we need to wear it? What does he think we need protection from? Let’s break this verse down and answer these questions. The first thing Paul tells us here is to put on the FULL armor. Let’s stop there and look at this closer. What would be the purpose of only putting on part of your armor if you are going into battle? None. It is important that we realize that we must put on the whole armor of God not just pick and choose which pieces we want to wear when the time seems right. Every day is a battle, we have to face challenges everywhere we turn. Moral battles, spiritual battles, physical battles, the list goes on and on. The most important part of any battle is to make sure that you are always fighting the good fight and standing firm; being confidant in your decisions that they align with the spirit of God. Now, as we go further and further into this study of the armor of God we will break down what each and every piece of the armor is for. Then we will understand better why it is so important to be fully suited up and prepared for battle. The armor of God reminds me of 1 Corinthians 12. Paul talks about the body being made up of many parts, but that it is still one body. He goes on to tell us that the parts of the body that seem less important to us are still valuable, because every part has its job and without it the body would be incomplete and not functioning properly. This is the same for the armor of God. It is one suit made up of many parts, all equally important to the proper functioning of the completed suit. The next part of this verse that we are going to examine is “that you may be able to stand firm” . Not stand tall, not rooted, not sitting comfortably, but standing firm. What does that mean? To me the word stand represents an action taken on by us. To be firm means to be steadfast, or unwavering. This is usually terms used when talking about ones morals and convictions. So to stand firm is an action on our part to stand up for what is right and true, despite what comes our way. Also, being firm means that we are moveable not rooted to one place. Sometimes it is necessary to remove yourself from a situation or place in order to remain walking uprightly before God. This is ok, as long as it aligns with God’s word and will. We need to not be so set in our ways that we may miss a message from God about change. We need to learn to be firm not stone like. God can work with a willing heart, but a heart of stone is not easily molded.

Let’s look at the next part of this verse, “against the schemes”. As we know from above the word schemes in the lexicon is artificial. The word artificial means something that is fake, or false. It is something that is designed to mimic something else. Like fake sweeteners, they are artificially made to taste sweet like sugar. Do you know that it has now been medically proven that consuming a certain type of artificial sweetener has been linked to a myriad of health problems, including causing diabetes! Wow! And isn’t this the intended audience for these products, diabetics? With that random thought out of the way,. My point is, that a scheme is something that is derived by someone/something to make you think it is something that it is not. It is a “false reality”. So a scheme is something that may appear to be one thing, but in the end it is not at all what you thought it was. So what makes schemes so dangerous? It is easy for people to fall for schemes because they take on the appearance of something else. Have you ever met a believer that is caught up in something that you can clearly see is worldly (or not from God), but they will tell you with all genuineness that they believe that they are serving God with the action, or behavior? More than likely it is a scheme. After all a scheme is what? “Artificial reality”. We have all fallen prey to it at one time or another, but this is where it is so important to make sure that we are fully armored. To be able to recognize them for what they are, artificial. And now let’s look at the last part of this verse, “of the devil.”The devil (in this verse) means evil spirits in general. Now the reason I think that it is important to mention this translation is that I do not want you to give Satan more power than he deserves. He is not omniscient, he sends his minions to tempt us, to torment us, to try to side track us with their schemes. It may not seem like an important detail but trust me it is a crucial detail for us to grasp. Satan cannot be in all places at all times like God, he is just not that powerful. Sometimes I feel like people give in to the power of evil because they give it so much control. They feel overwhelmed by a bad experience that they are having, or they feel overwhelmed because the bad doesn’t seem to ease up. I am here to tell you that the only places that are fertile enough for the fruits to grow heartily are a valley. The mountain tops are great, but it’s when we are in the valleys that we truly grow. Life is full of hardships, negativity, and trials; but if we can stand firm, putting on the full armor of God; we will come out on the other side a much stronger and hopefully wiser person. This is why it is so very important to me that people truly understand what the armor of God is. If we wear it the wrong way, than its intended purpose will not work.So let’s stick together and find out what God has to say to us about protecting ourselves against the false realities that the evil spirits have lined up for this world. Take this journey with me and stay tuned for part 3 of this study on the armor of God. And as always, God bless you.(Tomorrow’s study will be on V. 12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” I hope you come back tomorrow for this next part…)

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4/28/13The Armor of GodGood morning. This is going to be an in-depth look into the meaning of the armor of God. This will be an 8 part (hopefully) study. I hope you enjoy it and that it blesses you. (I wrote one years ago but I cannot find the book that it was written in so I am doing an updated version.)Ephesians 6:10-17 (but for today we will only be examining v.10).“Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.”What does it mean to be strong in the Lord? Well here the word strong (1743 in the lexicon) (Endunamoo) means to strengthen, to make strong, vigorous. To become strong, to become strengthened.)So this is a process. But it is not ours alone! This strength refers to the recipient of such strength receiving it from outside of one’s own self. This strength comes from the Lord.What does it mean, “in the strength of His might.”? The word strength (2904) (Kratos) here means power and dominion.This means that we will be given power and dominion over something. But what? We will get into that in another lesson. (One step at a time so you can fully appreciate this passage of the Bible, and be able to properly apply it and use it.)Might (2479) (Ischus) means strength, especially physical power as an endowment.So now it becomes clearer! This being strong is not only a process but a gift from God! Ephesians 6:10-17 “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.”To be strong in the Lord means to rely on His strength, not your own. Believe that He has dominion over whatever circumstances come your way. Remind yourself, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (NLT )” This is so very important to understand, He is able to do MORE than what we can even imagine. We put God in a box and think of Him finitely, when He is infinite. We take away His power in our lives by trying to reason our way through situations that we find ourselves in. God is able to do all things. We must learn to be strong IN HIM, NOT OURSELVES. When we can do that we can better grasp His power and strength in our lives. Why do you think that Paul would start out this passage about spiritual armor? I think that he is trying to tell us that without this first step the armor would not be effective. We must understand that if we “put on” the armor of God but do not understand that it is God who gives us the strength to carry it then we are doomed to fail. And in this failure will come a division between you and God. When we try to do what we think the bible tells us and things don’t go the way we think they should we start to doubt the validity of the bible. But in fact the problem is us. We read what we want to, we apply it the way we want to then when we fail instead of blaming ourselves we blame God, or others. But we don’t take the time to really inspect the word and read deeper into what He is trying to tell us. We want to go from the bottle to the meat in one step. But this is not the way of the Lord. He has steps for us to follow. You cannot build a house on a foundation that is not set or the whole house will fall down. We cannot expect to pick and choose what fits our situation at the moment and then apply what seems right. We have to look at the whole picture and then go step by step. This is the only way to be successful at knowing what the Lord is telling us. Tomorrow we will be looking at V.11. “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

As always, I hope that you have been blessed by this study and come back tomorrow for part two of this study on the Armor of God. God bless you till we meet again!

Christ in Gethsemane (Christus in Gethsemane), oil painting by Heinrich Ferdinand Hofmann (Heinrich Hofmann). The original is at the Riverside Church (Riverside Church, New York City). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Philippians 2:17-18“But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. And you too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.” What do you think Paul is saying to us here? What does it mean to be “poured out as a drink offering…”? It means to be sacrificed for the cause. What cause? Spreading the good news of Jesus Christ! Paul in this case was being persecuted because he was trying to witness for Jesus. He was being “sacrificed” for the service of your faith! Are we willing to be sacrificed for the sake of another’s faith? What does that even mean? It means that every person has the right to know that Jesus died for them so that they may have eternal salvation. It means that we may be called into uncomfortable situations; it means that we may be unfairly persecuted; it means that we will suffer; it means that we will have to sacrifice. But for what? For the sake that perhaps through your sufferings maybe just one person will see the joy of the Lord upon you in your time of despair and come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It means that in spite of what our conditions are we NEED to be a blessing to the world around us. We need to show them that Jesus is enough. We need to show them that He comforts us. We need to show them that He speaks to the brokenhearted and wounded.It is not easy to be a Christian, especially in these dark times. It is a sacrifice to be a Christian in today’s society. Television programs are geared for the worldly, radio is geared for the worldly, and movies are geared for the worldly. Christians have a very small niche in these markets. It is hard to resist all of the temptations. We cry and moan about the conditions of the world. We complain and grumble, but what are we doing to make it better? Are we being a blessing despite the conditions around us? Are we being a blessing despite OUR conditions? How do we stand out in a world gone mad? Stand out for Jesus that is. Paul tells us in V18 “And you too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.” What is Paul saying? He is telling us that no matter what the circumstances, we must remain joyful. Imagine what it would be like if instead of walking around like the world and grumbling about everything that is wrong with it, we try to be joyful that God is still on the throne? Can you imagine what it would be like if instead of when we are tried and suffer we would show the world that Jesus is still in control of our lives? How can the world tell if we are different being a Christian if we look like them? When we suffer we should still be able to share the joy that is the salvation of Jesus. We live in a world that wants instant gratification; they want to see the results now! They want to know that there are benefits to being a believer. Jesus saves us the instant we ask for forgiveness and ask Him to enter into our hearts. How is that for instant results! But what does the world see? They see a sour faced bunch; they see a group of people who say, “God bless you…”, “I’ll be praying for you…” But where is the fruit of that faith? Works will not get us into heaven that is not why we do them. We do them because it is the example that Jesus left us. Because in spite of what is going on in our lives we must still be a blessing to the world around us. Showing this broken and hurting world that there is hope; and that hope is found in Jesus Christ alone. This cannot be done with mere words; we must show with our actions. James 2:14-17 “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Our works are for the blessing of others. It is to be a testimony of the love of Jesus. It is to show the world that in spite of what may be going on in your life that the love of God is the most important part of your life. It should be a testimony that God is bigger than any problem. Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing…” What happens to us when we are treated unfairly? Do we not grumble? Do we not dispute what is happening to us? This is not the example that Paul gives us. Nor is this the example of Jesus. We get caught up in the woes of this life and in turn we give up the joy of the Lord. Romans 8:17 “…and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him…” It’s human nature to want to defend ourselves when we are treated unfairly. But Paul tries to convey to us, remind us, that this is not the way of the Lord. We must keep our joy in the Lord always under every circumstance in our lives. And most importantly, we need to share that joy with others. Nothing quite compares to meeting a person who is in the middle of suffering a trial and they have the joy of the Lord upon them. But more remarkable is this, THAT THEY SHARE THAT JOY WITH OTHERS! We tend to hold people like this in high regards; as we should, after all they are witnessing to us the perfect love of Jesus. Despite hanging on the cross. Despite the torment and disrespect. Despite all of it, Jesus still asked His heavenly Father to forgive those that were treating Him unfairly. When we suffer wrongs and count it as blessings and share those blessings with others; we are sharing the perfect love of Jesus. Then will we be, “poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith,” This is what it means to be a blessing to others in spite of your conditions.

As I sat here this morning typing this out a red cardinal came an perched itself upon a branch outside my window and stared in at me (or so it seemed, maybe it was only looking at its own reflection) I am reminded that God takes care of all that bird’s needs. I am also reminded that there is no clothing that could compare to the splendor of that birds feathering; the “clothing” that God gave it. Why do we worry so much when God clearly has it all figured out. We just keep getting in the way with our rationalizing everything. The beauty of this bird gave me joy and I wanted to share it with you. Wish I had my camera handy so I could have taken a picture of it. Have a blessed day. (This piece was written about 7 years ago and I edited it this morning.)

Philippians 3:7-17
“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss, for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; In order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained it. Or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”

Another key to finding “true contentment” in our lives is not focusing on the “what-ifs” in life. But rather, on the things that are “right now”. Ultimately if we focus on the “what-ifs” in life we either live in the past or we live in a fantasy of the future. Yes Paul tells us that he was reaching forward to what lies ahead, but this means that he can see past his present circumstances. This does not mean that he is focused on the what-ifs of his future. Because in V16 he states; “however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.” I think this is confirmation that we are called to live in the present.
In V8 Paul tells us that he suffered the loss of all things. In this case the word suffer means, to suffer great mental or physical pain. Losing the things we have for Jesus is not without gain however. There is much to be learned through this experience, if we allow God to show us. According to V11 that blessing is “In order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Salvation, this is our reward for standing strong in the face of trials of all sorts. For it is in the deepest parts of these trials that we find God. Therein we find true contentment when we realize that He is all we need.
True contentment comes when we know that we are going to be ok if we can’t figure out our next step. We don’t have to be in control as long as we allow that control to be God’s. I want to be content. Truly content and I know that the only way that I can truly ever be content is to follow the examples that Jesus Himself left for us; either through Jesus Himself, or through His disciples. He gave us all that we need to understand how to be successful in our walk, the BIBLE. Not success as the world sees success, but success as God sees it. To be able to stand before Him one day and hear the words “Well done my good and faithful servant.” To me that is the ultimate goal. Let’s not lose heart in this crazy rat race we call life; remember that this is not our home. We are just visitors waiting for the Lord to call us home. What a glorious day that will be! So till then, keep fighting the good fight and don’t lose heart!

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“When we are really in need is when what God gives us truly enough. In this place we find true contentment.”
In 2 cor. 12:5-10, Paul tells us that the Lord gave him a “thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me-to keep me from exalting myself!”

In other words, to keep him humble. again in Philippians 4:11-13 Paul tells us”…In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”
That is TRUE CONTENTMENT. And last, but not least, Paul tells us in Hebrews (specifically 15:5) tells us this: “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”
This is the foundation for the assurance of our contentment.
How many of us when we have plenty are we content? Really content? Usually when we have plenty we want more. This is not God’s plan for us. He wants us to be content with what He gives us. I’m not suggesting that we should not strive to be better every day. My suggestion is this, “That when we are focusing on getting more, we are not focusing on the Lord. To be able to say, “Lord thank You for what You have given me.” With a true heart for what you’ve said.”
Thanking the Lord for what we have and being content are 2 different things. How often do we say “thank You Lord for this meal…BUT” THAT IS NOT TRUE CONTENTMENT! Or, “Lord thank You for providing for my needs everyday…BUT” THIS IS NOT TRUE CONTENTMENT! We must come to the place of true contentment. Thanking God and then saying “but” is like a small crack in a pot. Over time it will become a steady leak and continue to weaken. We will not be able to retain the “thankfulness”. Ultimately, one small crack in a pot over time will make the whole pot unable to retain its contents. Thus it will be with us. If we cannot find true contentment in every area of our life it is like a small crack in our spiritual armor. After time that discontentment will “leak” into other areas of our life. Then, before you know it you are not able to retain the joy in knowing that the Lord is sufficient.
Matt. 6:25-34 is another assurance our heavenly Father gives us for “true contentment”.
“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?…yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?…for your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Webster’s definition of content is this: “satisfy; please; make easy in mind.” Also: “willing; ready”.
This reminds me of Matt. 11:28-30. “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My load is light.”
When we are truly content we are more willing to be obedient. That is human nature. When our spouses meet our needs we are more content in our relationship. Thus, we are more willing to meet their needs in return. So it goes with our relationship with our heavenly Father. Whether we want to admit it or not, this is the case. It is just human nature. This is why finding true contentment in our hearts, our spirits, is so important. When Jesus tells us to take up His yoke because it is easy, do we really think that Jesus’ yoke was easy? Of course not! This is why so many of us are too afraid to try it. We see the trials that He faced and we are afraid. But if we look deeper into what He was saying we will find the true meaning. Let us take a look at this.
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” He tells us to learn from Him. He is gentle and humble in heart. What does that mean? Sometimes we think that we are humble when in our hearts we are proud. Jesus tells us to let our hearts be humble.
Next, He tells us; “and you shall find rest for your souls”. Not that we will find rest from our troubles. Do not be confused nor be deceived, the Lord does not guarantee us the life that is free from trouble. He does tell us that if we will learn from Him and that if we are gentle and humble in our hearts THEN we will find rest for our SOULS! You know that place within you that communicates with God? That is where you will find rest.
Do you think that Jesus’ load was easy or light? Probably not. Again let’s take a closer look at what this is saying.
“For My yoke is easy and My load is light.” What was Jesus’ load? It was to save the world. But that has been done once and for all through His sacrifice upon the cross. So what does He mean by telling us to take up His yoke? That His yoke is easy and light? The load that Jesus was to bear (apart from the aforementioned) was the will of His Father. Now we come to the meat of the matter. If we let our will be the Father’s will than we are not the ones that are carrying the load. It is easy and light. So if we listen to the words of Jesus and trust that what He says is true than maybe we too will be able to find that “True Contentment” that Paul talks about.
Paul stresses so much on the issue of true contentment in so many of his letters. This problem of discontentment can rob us of the joy and full blessings, not to mention our ultimate effectiveness for the Lord.

(I wrote this 11 years ago. I have edited it a little today and added some more dialog to it.)